The Role of Social Programs in Saudi Arabia to Prevent Domestic Violence, Compared to Developed Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

摘要

Prevention of domestic violence should be taken seriously, for it affects families, which are the foundation of communities. The purpose of this review is to investigate and synthesize data from studies to compare the interventions and roles played by social programs in preventing domestic violence in Saudi Arabia with those in some developed countries, notably the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The aim of the review is to identify the differences of the role played by the social programs in Saudi Arabia and those of developed countries, so as to provide information to social programs in Saudi Arabia on how better to prevent domestic violence. The study searched for literature material from Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), Cochrane, PubMed, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and grey literature from international websites such as the United Nations, World Health Organization and other databases. Studies that reported on social programs that prevent domestic violence in Saudi Arabia and developed countries were included in this review. The search provided 4568 research studies, though only 20 of these met the right criteria and were reviewed. Despite there being social programs in Saudi Arabia that prevent domestic violence, there is a need for more research on how to eradicate this form of violence.